Longed-for producers meet thirsty throats on the Italian Wind Day at the Grand Hotel
Media, working life and living rooms are strongly impacted by restrictions, easement and re-restrictions. The headlines are gloomy; the offices almost abandoned and at home in the cottages people climb the walls in their longing for physical encounters. The Italian Chamber of Commerce is far from foolhardy, careless or irregular when they once again hold the Italian Wind Day in Stockholm. If you can visit a grocery store, take a bus or share an elevator with strangers, you can, in the name of logic, visit a well-thought-out and corona-secured event for wine. Thank you, dear producers, for being here.
Sweden imported 205 million litres of wine in 2019. Italy is indisputably number one and represented 28% of the volume, followed by France’s 14%. If we add what is delivered via online retailers and which crosses the border in the boot of a car, it becomes considerable volumes. Unfortunately, the figures for 2020 will look completely different.
No matter what taste and style you strive for, there is an Italian wine that fits the bill. It may be that some production volumes are small and may not be completely easy to find on the shelf in your local store. After a tasting last week with eight wines from the north side of Etna made from the nerello mascalese grape, I was spellbound and enchanted by the nerve in the wine. Intensity and power from over one hundred years of vines created a longing for more from the small island. The supply is minimal, but the joy of having found another tasty part of Italy is big.
Not only were the tables sparser in the Mirror Hall at the Grand Hotel, it was also sparser than ever with visitors. Less favourable for the organizers, but it was easy to get a time for a chat with importers and producers.
Azienda Agricola Rusel
We got stuck pretty quickly at the importer of Rusél. So, you have not heard of that producer? No, not us either, but their Rusél 2013 Barolo Serralunga offered a lovely nose, excellent grip and details in harmony with each other. SEK 359 at Systembolaget (No. 73764) immediately resulted in an order for a case.
Unfortunately, we could not agree on whether it was ready to drink or whether it should be aged longer. But since it’s me who holds the pen, that label it gets is ready-to-drink. Stylish and informative website, rusel.it.
Tenute Sajni Fasanotti
At table number 19 there were a small number of bottles from Tenute Sajni Fasanotti. No, we had not heard of that producer either. The producer is looking for an importer in Sweden, and we found two excellent reasons why it is hopefully going well. The first was a sparkling wine made from pure chardonnay. Sajni Fasanotti Senzapensieri Trento DOC. Steel tank until spring after harvest, bottling and then 28 months on the lees before disgorging. Although it was served far too cold, it delivered delicious details in its sleek, clean and dry style.
The second reason for joy at the table was Sajni Fasanotti Conte Allessandro Trentino DOC. 60% chardonnay and the remainder sauvignon. Vinified in three different ways, after which they are blended after about 14 months and aged for six months before they end up on the store shelf. With the results in hand, one can only conclude that the pleasant oak barrel character comes from chardonnay and the delicious aromas come from sauvignon. Excellent finish and a feeling of saltiness on the lips.
Azienda Agricola Giuseppe Ellena
If the above is looking for an importer, we can only hope that Ellena Giuseppe from La Morra gets a new one. The current importer boasts a website consisting of a single sentence filled with empty phrases but otherwise completely devoid of information. We fell for Ellena Giuseppe Barolo Ascheri 2012. The wine is made with skin-maceration of between 45-60 days, 30 months in oak barrels, from a vineyard planted in 1969 at 340m altitude. A charmer ready to drink right now.
Although some importers seem to make it more or less impossible to buy the wines, the clear call is to let this year’s Christmas present be a bottle of Italian wine. An ocean of bag-in-box wines continues to rush into the country, but the quality-oriented producers deliver almost nothing to bars and restaurants these days. Corona is not a district in Italy but an excellent reason to key in an order before filling your mug with mulled wine.
Buon Natale.
